


Remember When

by Lyssala



Series: Canonverse [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, One Shot Collection, Tumblr request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 16:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8292235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssala/pseuds/Lyssala
Summary: A collection of tumblr requests for slight divergences from canon featuring Eren and Mikasa.





	1. Eyesight

_**Anonymous:**  Oh requests!! ^^ maybe something anguish like blind! Mikasa? (Capable of blinking) maybe after an expedition and she got hurt badly losing her sight and Eren tries to help her through it while assuring her that he won't leave her side?_

* * *

 

Nightmares were nothing unusual for Eren. He’d been having them since before his mother died, and then they never stopped. Some were bearable, some woke him out his blankets twisted up all around him, some he woke up with tears in his eyes, but some were worse than others.

She was falling.

Eren didn’t see her get hit; he barely even heard his voice screaming her name as he tried to use his gear to take off after her. She looked so limp falling through the air, her black hair flowing in the wind, her eyes closed but he could barely tell with all the blood that was covering her pale cheeks.

Someone else was calling his name but he ignored them, he was so close. Just a little bit further. He couldn’t let her hit the ground. She’d never survive. Bile rose up in the back of his throat when his mind reminded him she might already be gone. She was just in reach, just a little bit further and he could get to her.

A large hand snapped her up just out of Eren’s grasp.

He shot up in his bed, a hand pressed to his aching chest as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes squinted when they opened; the room was much brighter than he was expecting it to be.

“Hey, easy, you’re gonna re-open your wounds.”

Eren’s stomach sank so quickly he thought he might throw up. He barely noticed the wrappings around his waist, the ache in his head, all he saw was Armin sitting next to the bed, not Mikasa. “Where is she.”

Armin looked tired. He was bandaged up around his arm but other than that he looked okay. “Do you remember anything?”

It came back in flashes, only making Eren’s head throb more than it already was. “We, um, we got attacked on the mission.” The fight came back to him some, but what stood out the most was the way Mikasa looked when she was falling through the air. His stomach clenched when he realized that wasn’t a dream. “Where is she, Armin?”

Armin bit down on his lip. “You should wait till you’re healed more. You’re in no shape to help anyone right now.”

Eren was already kicking his legs over the edge of the bed. “The last thing I remember was trying to catch her and something else got to her first. I’m not fucking around, Armin. Tell me.”

“She’s alive,” Armin said.

A little relief filled Eren’s chest, but it didn’t make him feel better; he knew there were things worse than death.

“Levi got to her shortly after she got grabbed.” Armin stood to his feet with a sigh, gesturing for Eren to try and stand up. “I’ll take you to her cause you’ll probably go on your own the moment I leave you anyway.”

At least he knew Eren well enough by now. He pushed himself up to his feet but the moment he did the room started to spin. Armin’s hands were around Eren’s waist in a moment, blond head nudging under Eren’s arm so he could have more support.

“Thanks,” he murmured. All he felt was dizzy and sick but it would be worse if he didn’t know. He had to see she was okay. She was always okay, he shouldn’t worry but he knew now more than ever Mikasa was just human.

Armin helped Eren down the otherwise empty halls of their makeshift base. He wondered how many came back this time, if any other friends were lost. He almost asked but he couldn’t. He could only focus at one thing at a time and right now that was Mikasa. The image of her falling, blood covering her face was all he could see, making his stomach turn.

He couldn’t save her. After all those times she saved him, he couldn’t even be there for her. He didn’t even know what was wrong, how she was hurt, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t catch her before it was too late.

“Right here,” Armin said, nodding towards a door at the end of the hall. He reached forward to the knob, pushing it open into the room.

It was bright like Eren’s was, curtains drawn so the sun was shining in. From a distance she didn’t really look that bad. He saw bandages covering part of her arm, more under her waist where her shirt was sliding up. Armin helped Eren in the room, sitting him down at the chair by her bed. It was from there he saw clear as day the bandages wrapped over her eyes.

The blood on her face. Something happened to her eyes.

“We’re not sure exactly what happened,” Armin said, not waiting for Eren to ask. “But we think she got caught off guard by something and got hit in the face.”

His jaw clenched. “How bad?”

Armin sighed, running his hands over his face. “The medics who took care of her said there’s a good chance she may never see again.”

Eren felt like he got punched in the stomach. He leaned over, dropping his face into his hands despite the pain shooting through his chest. God. It would destroy her if she didn’t know yet. Mikasa might’ve never wanted to join the military but she was a hell of a solider; it would kill her to be stuck back at base while him and all her friends were risking their lives and she wasn’t there. But how could see ever use her gear, fight Titans when she couldn’t even see?

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“She’s tough, you know that,” Armin said in that gentle voice of his. “She’ll learn to adapt faster than anyone I know.”

Eren tried to say something in response but his throat was so dry he didn’t even know if he had a voice. But how would he ever see the light in her eyes again? It was rare these days, but sometimes she’d smile and her eyes would light up like they did when she was younger, like everything was okay again.

The bed creaked a little and his head shot up, and then pounded in his skull in protest. Eren really didn’t care though. Mikasa moved a little but he had no idea if she was actually awake or not.

“Is someone there?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“Yeah,” Eren said, leaning forward towards the bed, placing his hands on the sheets.

“Eren? Should you be up yet?”

Leave it to Mikasa to worry about him first and foremost. “I’m fine, Armin’s here too.”

“Hey, Mikasa,” he said.

She started to push herself up on her elbows, trying to sit up but she was struggling a bit. Whatever hit her, must’ve hit her hard to get her to hurt like this. Ignoring the swell of hatred for whatever put the titans in the world, he reached over to help her, carefully grabbing under her arms.

“Thank you,” she breathed, leaning back against the headboard.

Eren sat down on the edge of her bed, watching her carefully.

“Stop staring at me,” she murmured. “I’ll be fine.”

He looked over to Armin, not wanting to ask her if she already knew but Armin nodded. “Are you feeling okay, then?”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”

Guilt rose in his throat making his stomach turn. “Mikasa, I’m sorry, if I ha-”

She shook her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault but mine. I rushed in and that’s on me.”

But it’s because you were protecting me, is what he wanted to say, because you always put me first, but he bit down on his lip instead. He didn’t know what to say. He always knew what to say to her, but this? He had no idea what to do.

“Eren?” Her voice was hesitant this time.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Will you, um, help me get these off,” she asked tugging at the strips of gauze on her face.

“Oh, is that…” He looked up to Armin. “Is that okay?”

“Just do it carefully and see if we need to replace them,” Armin said.

Eren leaned forward, trying as carefully as he could to unwrap the thin fabric from her face without hurting her. She sat there patiently not even flinching as if everything was okay, or she just trusted him that much. He sure didn’t trust himself that much; his fingers were shaking at each turn around her head slowly revealing the red skin and healing scrapes around her eyes.

When the last wrap dropped to the side of the bed, Mikasa, she still looked like herself, though like she got burnt and hit around the eyes, but it was still her. Her eyes were dark and they didn’t move around at all, just staring off even though he knew she was probably turned to the sound of his voice.

“We can probably leave them off for a bit,” Armin said. “I’ll go get some fresh bandages.”

“Thanks, Armin,” Eren said, watching the blond leave the room, door closing behind him.

Silence filled the air. Eren looked down at his hands, unsure what to say or do. She wouldn’t accept his apologies but what else could he do? This just felt like his fault. Whether she was trying to help him or because he didn’t get to her fast enough. If he was stronger, just maybe he could’ve stopped it. Maybe she’d still be able to see him.

“You don’t have to stay,” she said, though her voice cracked a bit at the end.

“Like hell I’m leaving,” he grunted, crossing his arms against his chest before more guilt started to sink in. “Well, I mean, unless you don’t want me to.”

“I do, I just…” Her hands fidgeted with the blanket in her lap. “I don’t want you to stay because you feel guilty. I don’t want you to look at me and feel guilty. I don’t…”

He swallowed. Typical Mikasa, never wanted to be a burden, never wanted him to worry. “I want to stay because I care about you, you know that right? Any time you need me, I’m here. You’ve always been there for me, I’m here for you too.”

“I’m…” Her voice choked up. “I feel like the whole world was cut off from me. The bed, the room, is here but I can’t see them. You’re here, I know you are, but I can’t…I can’t see your face.”

“That’s okay, you know me, you know my face. Bet you can see it in your head right now.”

“Are your eyes squinting like they do when you’re angry?”

Eren snorted. He was about to say he didn’t do that but he figured she’d actually know better than him. A jolt hit his stomach. He reached for hand hands that were resting in her lap but hesitated before he could move any closer.

They were close, they had always been close. It should be no big deal to grab the hands that saved his life, shoved him when he was being stupid, pointed when he needed to be told off, and yet they looked so delicate. Hands that planted flowers with his mom, that carefully combed through her silky hair, whose touch was so soft.

He carefully took her hands in his. His heart was racing in his chest but for what reason he wasn’t completely sure. This was Mikasa, just Mikasa, and she needed him, she needed his support now more than ever. He had a fluttering feeling that it’s exactly why he was feeling the way he was. Mikasa needed him, like he always needed her even if he never used to wanna admit it.

Eren held her calloused fingers up to his face. Her breath caught in her throat and for a moment she didn’t move at all.

When she did, it was only a gentle brush of her thumb over his cheek and he already had shivers running down his spine. Carefully and delicately her fingers lingered over his face. His eyes fluttered shut as she ran her touch over his cheeks, his nose, his jaw, chin, eyelids, eyebrows, forehead, lips, like she was memorizing him just by a touch.

“You aren’t angry,” she murmured, hands brushing by his cheeks as they fell back down into her lap. “You’re relaxed.”

He didn’t even realize the tension that had left his body, causing him to relax under her touch. He opened his eyes, watching her as she looked in his general direction. “Yeah, now that I know you’re okay, I guess I am.”

A smile pulled at her lips and he swore all the air got sucked out of the room the way he couldn’t breathe anymore. She didn’t need to see to have her face light up the way it used to.

Mikasa was the real hero. She’d keep fighting till she had nothing left in her, nothing would ever stop her. He should’ve known that by now.

Eren took her hand again, pressing it to his mouth so she could feel the small smile pulling at his lips he knew she’d love to see. “Everything is gonna be okay.”

Her fingers traced along his skin as he leaned his head into her hand. “I believe you.”


	2. Ages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren's a bit older than a Trainee here

_**Anonymous:**  could you do an eremika au with Heichou Mikasa and trainee eren please? <3_

* * *

 

This was so stupid. What the hell was he even doing here? Eren wanted to hit his head against a very large and thick wall but instead he was still standing in front of his very beautiful and very much his superior officer’s door.  Okay, it wasn’t like  _that_ , she wasn’t that much older than him it was just that she reached a position of power over him rather quickly from what he knew.

He held his hand up to her door but quickly dropped it, letting out a frustrated groan as he did. This was so stupid. What did he even think he was doing here? But he couldn’t help it. Mikasa was gorgeous and strong, she was a tough leader but she never left anyone behind no matter how useless it may seem. She never gave up on him no matter how many times he messed everything up and that…that meant a lot.

Eren came here to thank her for all of that, at least that’s what he was trying to tell himself because he knew somewhere along the way he had fallen for her. He fell for his superior officer who could kick his ass two times over without blinking. He was gonna die.

With a sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away; better leave before he just made a fool outta himself. He started to walk back down the hall to his own room and forget he ever thought this was a good idea when he heard a door crack open.

“Eren?” Her voice had him halting in his tracks.

He looked back only to see Mikasa leaning up against her doorway, dressed in some casual clothes; she was still the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, her forehead furrowed in concern.

“No,” Eren shook his head. “Ah, nothing’s wrong at all. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

She didn’t look like she bought it, which Eren was kinda used to. He spent the last few years working directly under her though he realized pretty quickly the imagery that went with his choice of words made matters worse. He shook his head quickly. Regardless, he figured she pretty much knew him inside and out now, especially when he was lying.

“Why don’t you come in for a bit?” She stepped aside, opening the door wider for him.

“It’s really okay, I don’t wanna impose.”

She gave him a look that told him he better get in or he was gonna regret it. Eren quickly walked across the hall and stepped into the room she was staying in. She closed it behind him, one lantern flickering on her desk that was illuminating that part of the room. She leaned up against her desk and gestured for Eren to come closer.

He couldn’t actually bring himself to sit down, so he stood awkwardly by the chair, arms crossed against his chest and trying everything he possibly could to get his heart from stop pounding so loudly in his chest.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked. It wasn’t her usual commanding tone, it was a bit softer; one Eren had gotten used to from her whenever they trained or worked together.

He shrugged. What the hell was he supposed to say? “I just was having a hard time sleeping.”

“Is it the mission coming up?”

Hey, that was a good way out, yeah, the mission. “Yeah.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “I would’ve thought you’d know by now you couldn’t lie to me and get away with it.”

Eren swallowed. “It was worth a try?”

Mikasa cracked a small smile and patted the area of the desk next to her. “I think I know what’s going on.”

He sincerely hoped not but he walked the short distance to lean up against the desk next to her, careful not to get too close to his arms didn’t brush against hers. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

“You’re having trouble with a girl, aren’t you?”

Well, it  _was_ true. “You caught me.” He tried to give her a weak smile.

“Nothing wrong with that.” She smiled and gave him a light nudge of her shoulders making him swallow hard again.

“I didn’t expect you to have that sorta attitude about it. I figured you’d be all work, no time for play, Captain.”

“Work has its time and place, like play has its time and place. We may be fighting nearly every day for our lives but to me that only makes the play aspect more important,” she shrugged. “Just because I work hard doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have fun too, c’mon, I’m not that much older than you, you know?”

Eren’s heart leapt up into his throat; yeah, he knew and it just made his stupid crush on her even worse.

“So,” Mikasa said looking over to him; Eren was a little surprised that standing side by side she had to look up at him, when did he get taller? “Tell me about your girl.”

“She’s not my girl,” Eren snorted. “I’m pretty sure she isn’t anyone’s girl. She’s rather self-sufficient.”

Mikasa made some approving noises. “Pretty I bet.”

“She’s gorgeous,” Eren said, risking a glance over at her. “The prettiest girl I know.”

She gave him a smile, the look in her eyes something he couldn’t quite read. “Well, why haven’t you told her then?”

This was gonna get awkward real fast, but Eren was having a hard time stopping himself from talking. This is what he wanted, he just wanted to be around her, spend time with her, talk to her and here he was describing her to herself. “Who says I haven’t?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because look at you, you’re so jittery just talking about it. When you tell someone how you feel, for better or for worse you feel a sense of relief because now they know, you have nothing left to lose. So why haven’t you told her? You’re a good guy, Eren. Very brave, passionate, handsome. What girl wouldn’t be flattered?”

“It’s complicated.” He looked away, hoping she wouldn’t see the heat that rose to his cheeks at her compliments. She thought he was handsome; Eren was pretty sure he couldn’t even control the warmth swirling in the pit of his stomach.

“How complicated can it be? In this world you have to live or die. Why waste the time you do have alive?”

When he looked back, she was watching him again a light smile on her lips. Mikasa really was gorgeous; he meant it when he said she was the prettiest girl he knew and that wasn’t just because of looks; it was her strength, her drive, her kindness, everything about her. Once he met her, it was like he had known her his whole life and that, that was hard to push away no matter how many times he tried.

He didn’t even realize he was leaning into her until his lips were pressed to his. He pulled away almost as quickly as he found himself kissing her; if his face was red before now it was probably on fire. “I…” he tried but nothing else would come out as he looked at her. He was going to get killed.

Mikasa’s face betrayed no emotions as she stared back at him, a silence settling in the room that was nearly choking Eren. What had he done?

“I should have you severely punished for that,” she said, her face still unreadable.

Eren’s heart sank into his stomach. He didn’t feel any sort of relief, just embarrassment and rejection. He was so stupid, how did he ever think she’d-

Mikasa reached her hands up to his face, pulling him back down till her lips were back on his, kissing him back with such passion that it made him gasp. He quickly recovered, how could he not when  _she_ of all people was kissing him, and moved his mouth with hers, hands reaching around her waist to pull her into him.

“How…?” he breathed when she pulled away, her hands still cupping his face.

“I could ask you the same.” Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked at little out of breath but she was smiling at him, the most beautiful smile he ever saw.

“I…” How did he put it in words? “I just…fell.”

She leaned into him again until her breath was on his lips. “Me too.”


	3. Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per the request, this does involve the death of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin probably the only time I've ever written it (and probably the last cause I cried at my desk at work writing it lmao)

_**Anonymous:**  Please make a story where the shiganshina trio died in the last battle and Jean is talking to their graves about the new found freedom. Pleasee_

* * *

Jean never had too much time to relax once the Scouting Legion actually became relevant to the rest of the military. It always seemed he had to train new kids, go on missions, handle paper work, write reports, the list was endless. Once a week though he’d walk off base and head down into the renovations Shiganshina was going through. They were rebuilding the town, and the base for that matter, since it would soon be one of the towns closest to the wall’s tall gates leading out into the world they had available to them.

“Good to see you today, Captain Kirstein,” one of the Stationary Guards nodded to him as he motioned for the gate to open. “I always mean to ask you, where do you get those flowers? My wife would love some.”

“In town the last flower stand in the market, she has the best,” Jean gave him as best of a smile as he could, his fingers unconsciously brushing over the petals.

“I’ll have to stop by when I get off.” The gates stopped moving with a clank. “You’re good to go, Sir.”

“Thank you, have a nice day.”

The guard waved and Jean continued out into the world he came to see so much of even in the last few months. He had taken plenty expeditions and mapped out plenty new areas though there was so much more to see, Jean didn’t even know if they could see all of it.

Just about a mile down the main road leading to and from the walls there was a smaller dirt path leading into what looked like a small wooded area. This was the path he knew the most. To anyone who wandered down the path they’d see the gate and the sign telling them exactly what it was: the resting place of heroes. Jean pushed open the gate and headed into the familiar area. The area was surrounded by trees but inside it was all cleared out, headstones all over the area divided by the division of military they had once been a part of.  

Jean walked through the paths that led around the graves of the people who had fought in the war and didn’t get to see it resolved. He turned down one section to be able to bend over and place the flowers by a headstone, one that wasn’t marked by any of the three divisions but the mark of the Training class; Marco never got to make his choice. Jean brushed his fingers over the name of his old friend engraved into the stone before heading towards the back of the graveyard.

The Scouting Legion had the most casualties so they were sectioned off towards the back, but there were three headstones right at front of the section that stood out the most; which was mainly because they were a little more ornate than the others, something Jean knew they would’ve hated. He sat down with a sigh on the grassy spot in front, the sun shining through the trees. He glanced around to see if anything changed since last week but it didn’t look like it. The patches of flowers that grew on the outskirts of the graveyard looked bright though which meant Sasha must’ve been out to take care of them recently.

Jean looked back over at the graves in front of him; no matter how many times he came here he never thought he would get used to seeing their names in stone as opposed to seeing their faces in front of him. “It’s been pretty uneventful,” Jean said aloud, his words echoing slightly. “I have another mission coming up though so I might be away for a bit. You’d love this one, Armin. We think we might find some kind of mountain range which only means more vegetation and more animals to discover. We could use your brains more often than not.”

Where once Armin’s small but confident voice would come back there was only nothing, just the words on his headstone marking his life and his achievements in battle and strategy, his love for his friends that never wavered. That he was a hero and Jean was also inclined to agree.

Eren was in the center and he would’ve hated the gravestone they gave him.  Well, the big Legion symbol all three had probably not; Eren had always been proud to be a part of the Scouting Legion but the rest he would’ve laughed at. They were all these grand words explaining his valor and heroism in and out of battle.

“You never thought you were anything more than yourself, huh,” Jean said. “Never wanted to be the hero everyone wanted you to be. You just wanted to be yourself and take care of the people you loved, saving humanity in the process.” He snorted. “In not wanting to be a hero you always were one, you ass.”

They would’ve lost everything without Eren’s sacrifice. Humanity would be no better off than it was, all those lives lost in vain, but because of him here they were finally free.

Jean reached down to pull a small flask off his belt, popping off the top and letting the burning liquid fall down his throat. “You better be taking care of your wife up there. I’ll give you hell when I get there if you aren’t.” He paused for a second. “Yeah, what was I thinking, she’s probably still taking care of you. She was always good at the up until the end, huh.”

He couldn’t say he was surprised when it was Mikasa who died first out of the three and of course, true to her very nature it was to protect Eren. Jean knew once Mikasa died Eren wouldn’t be able to go much on longer without her and Jean was right. Eren gave himself as the final sacrifice for humanity, ending the war and ending living caged up in the walls. Jean made sure under all Eren’s praises that they put he was always a devoted husband and friend, that’s what he would’ve wanted the world to know about him; nothing more, nothing less.

He looked over to the last gravestone in front on him. The people in charge of setting all this up wanted to leave her name as it was, Mikasa Ackerman; after all that’s how people knew her as and they wanted to keep the family name that she shared with Levi in memory of their fallen family. Jean fought them on it every step of the way. It didn’t matter they were only married for a few days before that last battle, Jean knew Mikasa would want to be remembered as the wife of the man she loved for all those years.

“I thought you guys were mental when you told me,” Jean snorted, taking another sip of his whiskey. “Why not just wait till this whole mess was over, then get married and have your family. But I guess you two knew better, didn’t you? Had a feeling it would go like this, didn’t you, Eren? Wanted to make her happy before you didn’t have the chance to anymore.”

They still left her maiden name on there but in right at the top of her grave was her name, Mikasa Jaeger. It went on to say she was a member of the Ackerman family and all the strength she brought to the war, but Jean wouldn’t stop until they put on that she was an unconditionally loving wife, in this life and in every other. Jean thought they should leave her scarf with their graves too, but Levi said that was something he wanted to keep with him.

If Jean knew one thing, it was that it was never just about freedom with these three. It was about the love they had for each other and Jean would make sure generations to come would always know not just of their deeds and sacrifice in the war but that they loved like no other.

He felt a hand press down on his shoulder but he knew who it was without having to look. “Does it ever get any better?”

Sasha didn’t say anything at first; just sat down next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. “No, I don’t expect that it will.”

He sighed, looking over the three graves in front of him, and the ones he could see behind. Connie’s name was poking out nearby, Historia’s too, so many names of people he once knew, people he’d never see again. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Sasha put her hand on his leg, probably trying to offer some comfort.

“Armin was supposed to get to see the world he told us about. He was supposed to be leading all of this, exploring and leading. Eren was supposed build some house somewhere far away, with I dunno a fence, a dog and Mikasa would have a bunch of kids who look just like their dumbass dad. That’s how it was supposed to be, that’s how…” He broke off, feeling his throat get choked up.

“Maybe that’s how it is. Maybe wherever they are now Armin can see the world but always be able to go back and see his two best friends who have a fence and a dog and lots of little ones who love their parents. Maybe they get visits from Connie, maybe Historia found Ymir. We don’t know, but we have to believe wherever they are, they’re happy because they did so much good for this world, if anyone they deserve it.”

Jean leaned his head against Sasha’s, feeling his breath hitch, his chest starting to get choked up. A warm breeze blew over them as a sniff from Sasha told him he wasn’t the only one who felt tears on his cheeks. “I miss them.”

Her voice was soft but Jean still heard it. “Me too, every day.”

 


	4. Kisses

_**Anonymous:**  Eremika fic where Eren always stole kisses from Mikasa and she started to get annoyed and apparently ignore him but it makes him want to kiss her more._

* * *

 

like her business just thrown around so that everyone in this cabin knew. It was enough to all be stuck into the same small area and always being around one another, she really didn’t need them all knowing her personal life too. That concept just didn’t seem to ever get understood by Eren, because he loved to kiss her where anyone could just walk right in.

He didn’t do it in front of people if they were paying attention but he would still try to kiss her if other people where in the room; whether it be the lips, the cheek, the temple, the forehead, wherever. It’s not like Mikasa didn’t love to kiss him, or just love getting kissed by him, no, that wasn’t the case at all. She loved every second of it just as much as she loved him and she loved that she could kiss him, that he wanted to kiss her. It made her heart skip every time she saw him but she still didn’t want the others to know, specifically Levi. Save for Historia and Armin, the rest were all loud mouths and would probably blurt it out on accident and Mikasa just didn’t want to even risk that.

Plus, she just liked having Eren to herself; she didn’t need anyone else to know. She was the one who knew and he knew and that was all that mattered to her. Unfortunately, Eren didn’t seem to feel the same way; he loved to show her just how much he loved her in public all the time. She tried to talk to him about it but he had an easy way of distracting her so her conversation never got too far.

Mikasa decided it was better to not let him get away with it; after all she didn’t want him kissing her where others could see so how hard could it be? It turned out it was very hard. Especially when he got that look on his face, the one she could see from across the room as they cleaned the kitchen with Connie.

It started with his eyes catching hers when Eren looked up from wiping down the counter. She tried to look away from him but when he got that smile on his lips, it was impossible to look away, or to be able to bite back her own smile. He kept rubbing at the counter as he moved over to where she was doing the dishes, Connie cleaning out the cabinets not paying attention to them at all.

Eren leaned up against the counter next to the sink, dipping his rag under the water she was using to clean with and aimlessly started to clean the area around the sink.

“What are you doing?” she mumbled, glancing over at him.

He shrugged, but still had that smile on his face. “Cleaning so we can get outta here already.”

Mikasa tried not to smile at him but it was nearly impossible when he looked at her like that. She went back to washing the cup that was in her hand.  It was also impossible to ignore him when he was closing the already small distance between them.  She looked up to tell him to knock it off before Connie turned around but she found him just taking her breath away instead, his warm breath already against her lips.

Eren leaned into her, and Mikasa felt her breath hitch in her throat. No, she had to do something; she didn’t want him to kiss her in front of their comrades and she had to stick to that. She quickly turned her face away so his lips brushed against her cheek instead. She felt a little bit of guilt in the pit of her stomach as she glanced back over to Eren; it wasn’t like she wanted to turn him down, no, she loved kissing him…just not in front of their friends.

He looked okay though, in fact, he was grinning wider than before. Eren reached his hands up to her face moving in again to kiss her.

“Hey, do you think this is still good?” Connie asked, making Mikasa jump away from Eren. Connie was holding up some old bag of bread that had more dust on it than would be considered healthy.

“I doubt it,” Eren snorted. “Unless you wanted to eat whatever was living in there.”

Connie tossed it in the garbage quickly.

Mikasa tossed her rag into the sink and brushed by Eren to get out of the kitchen. She knew she should feel happy that Eren always wanted to show his affections for her, and she was happy; she just wasn’t sure she wanted everyone in the cabin to know yet. He just didn’t seem to get it, even after she avoided his kiss.

Sasha looked up from cleaning the window when Mikasa walked into the living room but if the brunette was going to say anything, Eren pushing through the kitchen door cut her off.

“Mikasa, wait.” He grabbed a hold of her arm, turning her back to him. “What’s wrong?”

She was aware of Sasha’s eyes on them as she looked up to Eren. He wasn’t smiling anymore; he just looked more worried than anything. “I just…” she mumbled, hoping Sasha wasn’t paying too close of attention. “I don’t like it when you try to kiss me in front of them.”

Eren watched her for a moment before a sort of bashful look crossed his face. “I…uh I’m sorry. I just…you’re just…” He took a step closer to her. “You’re hard to resist. I can’t…help but want to kiss you especially when you try not to get me to.” A smile was pulling at his lips. “I’m sorry, Mikasa, I guess I don’t care if people know. I’d rather they know that you’re mine.”

Mikasa felt warmth filling the pit of her stomach as she watched him. Before she even knew it her hands were on his face, her lips pressed against his.

He seemed to be surprised for a moment but easily wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he kissed her back. Mikasa didn’t care about who was watching this time (and they were she could hear both Connie and Sasha making cat calls around them) because Mikasa wanted to make sure Eren knew he was irresistible too.

Judging by the soft groan falling against her lips and his hands tightening on her, he was pretty aware. Maybe kissing in public wasn’t such a bad thing; it would make things less stressful and probably much more enjoyable.

As long as it wasn’t in front of Levi.


	5. Make Up

_**Anonymous:** Eremika, breakup and make up?_

* * *

 

Mikasa knew the moment the door slammed behind him. She tried to keep her face calm as she turned to face Eren who was, just like she assumed, fuming.

“What the hell was that about!” he said, tossing his arms up in the air. He hadn’t even bothered to start to remove his uniform and straps, but neither had she. “You want to explain to me just what you were thinking out there?”

“Eren,” she started, trying to take a step towards him to calm him down but the look on his face told her he wasn’t having it.

“No, don’t even start, Mikasa, just don’t. I thought we agreed to work as a team when we got back from dealing with the Reiss’. Do you remember that?”

She nodded; how could she forget? After weeks and weeks of not knowing if Eren was dead or alive they finally managed to get to him and got him out of there thankfully in one piece. Mikasa felt so much overwhelming relief that she just held onto him and until she found his lips pressed to hers. “Of course,” she said, her throat feeling a little dry.

“Then what the hell was that out there!”

Mikasa very well knew Eren didn’t like when she tried to protect him, that wasn’t exactly a new fact, but couldn’t he understand where she was coming from too? “Eren, he had a gun pointed at your head. What was I supposed to do? Let him shoot?”

“I had it handled,” he growled, crossing his hands angrily against his chest. “I saw him and was about to take care of it.”

Mikasa felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. It was true, she had seen him move to attack the man but she just moved faster. “It was your first time out since you were kidnapped; you haven’t fought these people before you don’t understand what it’s like. Of course, I came in to help you. I wasn’t going to let them hurt you!”

“Oh okay, so having him point his gun at your head is perfectly okay then.”

“I handled the situation.” She saw anger flash through his eyes, making her hesitate.

“And I could have too if you just let me for once but no, Mikasa has to do everything herself just like it’s always been.”

Her stomach dropped at his tone, the look on his face. “No! It’s not like that!”

“Then tell me how it is.”

“I just…” Her fingers fiddled with the edge of her scarf as she looked at him. “I just wanted to…” He still looked furious, but there was something else in his eyes. There was hurt there too.

“You just wanted to what, Mikasa.”

“To keep you safe.” She felt the tears stinging her eyes but she bit them back, trying not to let them fall. She loved him; she loved him so much that she would do anything to protect him. Why couldn’t he see that?

Eren paused for a moment as he watched her. “There is a difference between protecting someone and never letting them do anything for themselves. Let me know when you learn that difference.” He turned to door of her room, hand reaching for the door.

Mikasa felt panic rising through her body. “Where are you going?”

He opened the door but didn’t look back at her. “Leaving.” The door shut behind him and she was alone.

She stood there, just staring at the closed door, her heart having fallen into her stomach. She wanted to call after him to tell him no, no, I couldn’t bear if something happened to you. I just got you back, don’t leave me again. It was too late though, he was already gone. The tears she was trying so hard to keep back fell from her eyes, dripping down her cheeks as her vision started to blur.

He had been mad at her before, many times before but this was different. She finally had him and she let him slip through her fingers because she just had to impulsively go after him when Eren was right, he did have it under control.

Mikasa didn’t even realize she crawled into her bed until she felt her head on the soft pillow. The tears didn’t stop when she could still smell him lingering on her pillow, her blankets, her sheets from the times he had spent there with her. “I’m sorry,” she said, knowing no one would hear her but herself.

Mikasa wasn’t even aware she fell asleep until she woke up. Her head was aching but when she opened her eyes there was no light save the moonlight lighting the now dark room. She reached up to rub her stinging eyes but a pressure on her blankets caught her attention. She sat up; ready to move as quickly as she could to defend herself but she easily recognized the figure sitting on the edge of her bed.

Eren had his head in his hands; elbows propped up on his knees and still dressed in his uniform. He wasn’t moving or even looking up and Mikasa didn’t want to move too much as to scare him but mostly she wasn’t sure what to say.

He must have felt her move though because his head snapped up, his eyes looking over to where she was sitting.

She couldn’t help but fidget slightly under his gaze, still unsure what she was supposed to say to him. He didn’t look mad anymore but she still couldn’t quite read the look in his eyes.

“Hey,” he said, though his voice sounded a little choked. “I, uh, didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s okay,” she answered, though her voice came out much softer than she intended it too. She pushed herself up so she was sitting up straight, the blankets falling in her lap though she didn’t remember ever pulling them over herself when she crawled in the bed.

A silence settled between them but not one they were accustom to. Mikasa opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out; she just kept her eyes on him.

“Mikasa?” Eren asked, leaning forwards to her a little bit. It was clear he wasn’t actually asking a question, just unsure.

“Yeah?”

He bit his bottom lip and Mikasa watched his face fall. “I’m so sorry.”

She blinked at him. Why was he apologizing? “No, Eren, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I acted that way with you when I should have never doubted you could handle yourself.”

He shook his head, moving himself closer to her on the bed. “No, you shouldn’t have to be sorry for that. I’m sorry I yelled at you for no reason. It was stupid, I was stupid.”

“But I jumped in when I shouldn’t have; I should have let you handle it yourself.”

“Mikasa,” he said, his voice soft this time, gentle. He reached a hand out to chin, lifting her face so she was looking at him. “How could I ever blame you for doing the exact same thing I would have?”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“I wasn’t mad at you for jumping in when you thought I was in trouble. I was mad that asshole pointed his gun at you and put you in danger. Which is exactly why you came to help me in the first place, cause you felt the same way.”

She nodded, already feeling the stupid sting of tears again. “I couldn’t lose you again. I just got you back.”

His arms were around her in a moment, her head falling onto his shoulder as she wrapped her arms up around his neck.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmured against her neck, his warm breath sending chills down her spine. “I’d never want to leave. I’m so sorry I said that.”

She felt him start to press kisses against her neck, light at first but each one growing in intensity. Her head arched to give him more room.

“Mikasa,” Eren sighed into her. “I’m sorry.” He kissed up to her jaw. “When he pointed that gun at you.” He nipped at her skin and she had to bite back a small cry. “I lost it. I’m sorry.”

She reached up to his face, this time to hold his chin to look at her. “I’m sorry too. I should’ve trusted you and trusted to know when you really needed my help.” She paused as she stomach fluttered from his bright eyes watching hers. “I love you and I’ve seen too much happen to you. I just couldn’t watch it happen again.” She wouldn’t have gotten the chance to say more even if she wanted to because Eren press his lips to hers with such a force that it pushed her back onto the bed, his body pressing down against hers.

“I love you too,” he murmured against her lips, hands pushing at her jacket.

Mikasa slid easily out of hers, her mouth moving with his as he tossed his jacket somewhere else. “Then help me get these off,” she said, a smile pulling at her lips as she started to unbuckled her straps.

Eren groaned and she could already feel his hard arousal against her thigh. He reached down to pull at her lower harness. “With pleasure.”


	6. Memory

_**gabrielkr7:**  Hey Lyssa, could you write a longer story around your last drabble about Mikasa getting her memory lost, pretty please?_

* * *

It had been a whole day, a whole day and her memory still wasn’t back. Eren knew he shouldn’t be selfish, that it was probably harder for her to not remember a single thing about her life than it was for him but it still didn’t mean it didn’t hurt; especially when he was laying alone in his bed staring at the ceiling.

Eren told Mikasa she didn’t have to sleep in their room if she didn’t feel comfortable and even though it was his idea it still hurt like a knife to his heart when she said she’d stay with Sasha. He couldn’t blame her really, why would she want to share a bed with some strange person who claimed to be her boyfriend? She didn’t remember that they knew each other since they were nine, that they shared a bed to comfort from nightmares long before they actually formed a romantic relationship. She didn’t remember how much he loved her, and how much she loved him. It hurt just to look in her eyes and not see any recognition looking back; there were no warm looks, her eyes didn’t light up like he was used to, hell, there wasn’t even a glare his way. It was just nothing.

He rolled over on his side with a grunt. If everything wasn’t already making him stay awake now he didn’t even have the warm comfort Mikasa always brought him, especially at night when he couldn’t sleep. All he wanted was for her to get her memory back so everything could go back to normal; he just wanted Mikasa back.

Maybe she’d wake up and she’d be back to normal, maybe she just had to sleep it off. Yeah, that might work. Granted, he still had to sleep and that didn’t seem to be coming to him at all. At this rate he’d be up all night and not be able to get any work done tomorrow because of it. He was being selfish again, yeah, but it’s not like he had much else in this life but Mikasa.

“Eren?” Her voice nearly had him jumping out of his bed.

“Yeah?” he said, sitting up to see Mikasa standing in her nightgown in his doorway. “Is something wrong?”

She looked nervous so she probably didn’t have her memories back but she was here and he had to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of her. “I just…I couldn’t sleep in there. Is it okay if I…?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Eren moved over on the bed so she had room to slide in and enough room to have her own space as well.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and climbed under the blankets, laying on her back in the spot he made for her.

It was nice to at least have her presence there because regardless of what was in her head she still was Mikasa. He was about to roll over so his back was facing her, hoping maybe that would make her feel more comfortable but her hand reached out to his shoulder before he could.

“Eren?” she asked again.

“Yeah?”

“How long have we known each other?” Her fingers were lingering on his skin.

Eren rolled onto his side so he was facing her. “A very long time. Specifically since we were around nine.”

“That is a long time.”

He had to crack a smile. “A very long time.”

“Have we always been together?”

“Yeah, we lived together as kids, joined the military together, joined the Scouting Legion together, took care of each other, fought together. So yeah, we’ve been together for a long time.”

Mikasa nodded and rolled onto her side to face him more. Eren was about to ask her how she was feeling but she started to inch loser to him. She didn’t stop till she slipped one tentative hand around his waist, her head leaning against his chest.

He carefully placed an arm over her, hand resting on her back. “Is this okay?” The last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable.

She nodded, scooting herself closer to him. “You’re warm.”

“You always tell me that,” he chuckled, pressing his chin over her head.

“And you smell good,” her voice was a little quieter that time.

Eren tried not to laugh for her sake. “That’s a new one.”

She hit him on his back, very reminiscent of how she always did when he teased her. “I’m serious, you know.”

“Okay, what do I smell like then?”

“I can’t explain that. It’s just like comfort. You smell like safety, like happy, you know, like home.”

Eren pulled her in closer to him, closing his eyes with a sigh. He understood; he felt the same way about her.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked, though he was already feeling the waves of sleep starting to make his mind hazy.

“For not remembering.”

“That’s not your fault, okay?”

Mikasa nodded against him. “I didn’t forget this though. I couldn’t sleep in Sasha’s because something was missing and I know that something was you.”

He felt a smile at his lips. “Feel better now?”

“Yeah, very,” she yawned, her hand wrapping tighter around him.

“Me too.”


	7. Shifter

_**Anonymous:**  Hi, don't wanna disturb you, but could you write something like a situation when Mikasa, Carla &Iz were in danger, Eren out of their reach, and Nic saving them like, with his new discovered titan power?_

* * *

For a brief moment of horror Eren thought the Titans returned. The ground was shaking, a deep vibrating noise, the trees nearly falling over, the whole earth seemed like it was shifting. It wasn’t footsteps though; it was too steady for that. An earthquake it was an earthquake. Eren reached down to grab Nicolas’ arm to help him back to his feet on the unsteady ground.

“Dad!” he called over the loud noises, and pointed to one of the mountains in the distance, rocks falling the ground shifting in the distance.

Once Eren knew it wasn’t a Titan, another thought of horror crossed his mind. They left Mikasa and the girls back where they were having lunch…by the cliff side. Mikasa was fast and smart, she’d be okay but it didn’t stop Eren from grabbing a hold of Nicolas and running back the way they came. Nic tripped constantly over the ground that was upturning under them but he seemed to understand his dad’s concerns and kept up.

They were safe. They were always safe. They had been through worse and Mikasa always knew what to do. Her instincts where the best Eren knew. He didn’t have to worry. His heart seemed to have other things on its mind though as it pounded in his chest with every step he took.

“Mikasa!” Eren called when they reached the area where he and Nic had left to walk one of the trails. Eren’s heart plummeted into his stomach when he saw the way the end of the cliff was crumbing. He reached out a hand to stop Nic from running any further into the area. Large boulders must’ve fallen from the mountains they were surrounded by because they were everywhere. The blanket they were sitting on was poking out from under one of them.

“Mom!” Nic cried his voice cracking.

“Mikasa!” Eren tried again. “Girls!” No, no, no, this was not happening. They were safe, they were finally safe. This couldn’t…they couldn’t…

“Eren!” her voice was soft, like it was blocked but he heard it.

The ground stopped shaking.

“That way,” Eren pointed towards some of the larger rocks that were pressed up against another cliff side. “Mikasa! Are Carla and Isabelle with you?”

“Yes, they’re here!” Mikasa said. It was closer this time. “Eren…” her voice trailed off. He knew that tone. Something wasn’t right.

“Wait here,” he said to Nic before Eren climbed up on one of the boulders. He laid over the top of it and saw Mikasa pressed up against the cliff, Iz in her arms and Carla in her lap. He breathed a sigh of relief they were all okay, a little cut up and scared but they were okay. “I’ll get you guys out, just let me…” He caught Mikasa’s eyes.

She glanced over to the left and he followed her gaze. They were close to the edge of the cliff, a crack running along the ground and threatening to crumble at any moment.

He needed to hurry and be careful or the whole ground would crumble under them and he’d lose everything.

“Dad? Is everything okay?” Nic’s voice echoed from behind him.

“Yeah, just stay back, buddy.” Eren scooted closer on the rock, reaching a hand down into the area where his girls were trapped. “Can you try and pass me Iz?”

Mikasa nodded and moved to pry the toddler off of her. “C’mon, Iz, Daddy’s gonna take you okay?”

Isabelle started to cry but she let go of Mikasa. She tried to reach their youngest towards Eren’s open hands but the shift in weight caused the crack in the ground to move. Some bits of rock and dirt fell from the cliff side. Mikasa choked but she kept holding Iz up.

Eren leaned in further trying to reach his crying daughter, her arms outstretched to him, hands trying to grab at his. He was too far away. He couldn’t reach her. He couldn’t ask Mikasa to move either; it might break the crack even more. “Don’t cry, sweetheart, it’s okay.” He tried to keep his voice steady as he reached for her but no matter what he could do he couldn’t get to them.

Carla started to cry clinging onto Mikasa.

“Dad? What’s going on?” Nic sounded frantic but if Eren couldn’t reach them, there was nothing his son could do.

“Just stay there.” Was all Eren could say.

The ground shifted again and Mikasa instinctively brought Iz back down into her arms. She looked up at Eren with panicked eyes. She didn’t know what to do and neither did he. They didn’t have much time and he couldn’t reach them, he couldn’t reach his family. They were in danger and he couldn’t protect them.

“I’m coming down there,” Eren said. Even if he could get them out before the ground shifted again that would be okay. He had to do something.

The ground crumbled before Eren even got a chance to move. Mikasa’s eyes met his before the rocks underneath her and their daughters started to shift.

“No!” he cried. He went to dive for them but the familiar sound of lightening cracking halted him. Before Eren could move again, he was on his back on solid ground. Frantic he jumped to his feet but the sight stopped him.

A Titan was standing up from over the cliff, turning around to face Eren. He swallowed hard. He knew exactly what happened. The ground shook again as the Titan took a few steps away from the cliff, the rest of it crumbling away. It placed Mikasa and the girls down near where Eren was on safe, solid ground. She ran to him, Isabelle still crying in her arms, and Carla had her face buried in her mom’s skirt. Eren kissed Mikasa’s forehead and held them close to him; one arm around Isabelle and Mikasa and the other on Carla’s head but his eyes were on the Titan who had walked away a bit before falling to its knees, ground shaking again. It fell face first into the ground, steam forming all around it. Eren let Mikasa and the girls go and moved the nape of the Titan’s neck.

“Daddy, no!” Carla cried but Mikasa must’ve hushed her because she stopped crying.

He knew exactly where to look because it was almost like it was yesterday he remembered being pulled from his own other form. The steam was hot, the melting skin even hotter but Eren reached down and pulled Nic out of the body. He was unconscious in Eren’s arms as he carried him back to where Mikasa was. Carla was hiding again, and Mikasa was trying to get Isabelle to stop crying but her own eyes were sad as she watched Eren carry their only son.

“Is he okay?” Mikasa asked her voice hoarse.

“He’s breathing,” Eren said. He dropped down to his knees, Nic’s body laying in his lap. No, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

Mikasa sat down in front of them, Carla curling into her. Iz was still crying though her hands were now out stretched to Eren. He carefully took her in his arms, her head burring into his shoulder. “Shh, its okay, everything’s okay,” he tried to soothe but it was hard to explain to anyone what happened, let alone his two daughters who had never seen a Titan before in their lives.

Carla crawled into Mikasa’s lap, cautiously looking over. “Is Nic okay?” Her voice was choked.

“Yeah, he’s okay,” Mikasa said, reaching out to brush some hair out of Nic’s face. “We’ll explain a little later, right now we need to get home but know your brother saved your life. There’s no reason to be afraid.”

Carla nodded though Eren wasn’t quite sure she fully bought the not being afraid part. He looked up to Mikasa who was watching him. Eren didn’t want this; he never wanted this for his children. He wanted that part of his life to be over with for good, not to be passed down. What had he done?

“There was nothing you could’ve done,” Mikasa said, reaching out to brush some fallen tears from Eren’s cheek. “Nicolas has the same instincts you do, to protect the people he loves and like you, all we can hope is that he’ll never have to use it again.”

Isabelle finally stopped crying, her hands still grasping tight against Eren’s shirt. He was about to pass her back to Mikasa so he could carry Nic back to the cart, but his eyes flickered open.

“What happened?” he winced. Nicolas seemed to notice that all eyes were on him quickly. “Mom? Are you and Iz and Carla okay?”

Mikasa nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could get it out, Carla was sliding over to Nic. She laid her head on his chest and hugged him the best she could.

“You saved us.”

Nic gave Eren a confused look. “I did what?”

He placed his hand on his son’s head. Mikasa was right. Just like the first time it happened to Eren Nic no memory of it, just the desire to protect the people he loved. “Everything’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

 


	8. Proposal

_**Anonymous:**  How about a fic where Eren asks Mikasa's parents for their blessing to marry Mikasa (if people still do that thing as if life is like a Nicholas Sparks novel)?_

* * *

 

Eren wasn’t sure how long he stood in front of Mikasa’s door, hand raised to knock but not actually moving at all. Her parents didn’t seem to be near the front of the house at all, but for all he knew they could just be polite and not call him out for standing there like an idiot.

He shifted his weight, his military uniform feeling even hotter than usual on his skin especially since the longer jacket of an officer was taking some getting used to. Walking to her house all the way in the woods past Shiganshina didn’t really help but at least someone gave him a ride on their cart halfway there. He knew the path like the back of his hand, he had been walking to her house since he was a kid; at first trailing after his dad and then sometimes his mom, then with Armin, and then just by himself like he did today.

Eren tried to swallow the lump in his throat, tried to take a breath to ease the way his heart was pounding in his chest. It was fine. This was fine. It wasn’t like he didn’t always know her parents. They were good, kind people and he always assumed they liked him pretty decently even when he decided to join the military. This was a little bit different though.

Parents were either happy when someone came asking for their daughter’s hand in marriage or disapproved and flat out said no. He didn’t really think that would be the case but it’s not like he led an easy life. Mikasa would have to move far away from her home to be with him, and there was always the possibility he wouldn’t come home from a mission.

There was no one like Mikasa though. There was no one he’d ever want to spend the rest of his life with but her. Regardless of how long his life may or may not be, he wanted it to be with her.

So he had to do this.

He knocked on the wooden door, the noise echoing in the quiet area. Was it too late to run away?

The door swung open and Mrs. Ackerman was standing here, her face suddenly looking surprised. “Eren!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were home. Please come in.” She stepped aside to usher him in the familiar log cabin. “I just saw your mom the other day and she didn’t say anything.”

“It was kinda a sudden thing,” he said turning to face her as she shut the door.

“Well, we’ll take it,” she said gesturing for him to have a seat. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you, I’m okay.” That wasn’t really the truth but whatever.

“Eren, hey,” Mr. Ackerman’s voice called from the entrance of the other room. He was wiping his hands on a dirty rag; probably out working in the back gardens. “What a surprise,” he said with a smile, walking into the main room of the house. “Mikasa should be back from the market any moment now if you wanna go meet her.”

“Well, actually if it’s okay, I’d like to talk to you, um, both of you.” Eren tried to smile but he felt like it came out as a grimace. Maybe he should’ve let his mom come, well, no on second thought that might’ve been a bad idea still. She never would’ve kept her mouth shut.

Mrs. Ackerman’s forehead furrowed, probably in concern. Eren grew up with Mikasa, and he knew her parents really well but he couldn’t exactly remember a time he asked to speak with her parents alone. God knows what was going through their heads, and knowing his  _somewhat_ rash track record, probably nothing good. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, everything is fine,” he said.

Neither of them looked like they bought it.

“Promise,” Eren tried again. “I, um…” The speech he said over and over again in his head was gone. He couldn’t even recall a single word now that he had her parent’s eyes on him.

“Why don’t we sit down then,” Mr. Ackerman said, taking his wife by the shoulders to lead her to the nearby couch.

Eren was grateful for the brief moment he had to frantically try and think of something to say while he took a seat on the chair across from them. Their eyes were on him once more and Eren didn’t feel like the twenty year old man who enlisted in the military as a teenager he actually was, but the nine year old who got yelled at for eating Mrs. Ackerman’s pie off the counter without asking.

“Okay, um, well, I assume my mom told you about my promotion?”

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Ackerman said. “We’re all very proud of you.”

Despite himself, Eren cracked a smile. “For staying alive this long?”

Mr. Ackerman looked like he was about to agree before she elbowed him in the gut. Well, at least Eren knew were Mikasa got that habit from.

“Well, with that comes quite a few perks.” Eren cleared his throat and tried to meet the eyes of the people watching him. This wasn’t a bad thing, this was a good thing, and he was pretty sure her parents liked him well enough so he wasn’t really sure why he felt kinda like he was gonna die. After all the missions he ran, figures cause of death wouldn’t be at the hand on Titans but by trying to tell his girlfriend’s parents he wanted to marry their only daughter.

“I, um, get paid more now, and I have a bit more freedom. I also don’t have to live in the bunks anymore which is probably my favorite part.”

“Finally gave you a residential home then?” Mr. Ackerman said.

“Yeah,” Eren reached up to scratch the back of his head. “It’s just an apartment in a larger building but it’s better than sharing a room with ten other guys.” He paused for a moment. “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

He dropped his hands into his lap, trying not to let his fingers fiddle with his jacket. He hoped by now they kinda picked up on what he was trying to do to make it a little less painless on him but he couldn’t tell if either of them knew what he was gonna say.

“Now that I have better income and, you know, an actual home, I want to…well, I want to marry Mikasa.”

Neither of her parents looked too surprised so at least there was that.

“I know it’s still not ideal,” Eren continued, his heart still pounding in his chest even though the words were said. “And I know she’d have to move far away from here but there’s no one I could ever love more than her, and being away from here these past few years has been pretty terrible. I know I’d still have to go away sometimes, and there’s always a risk I wouldn’t come back but I can take care of her now and if something should happen to me I can-”

“Eren, slow down,” Mr. Ackerman chuckled. “I don’t doubt you’ve already thought of everything there is to think of. Some of that will be up to her and what she chooses to do but if you were trying to ask us…” He looked over to Mrs. Ackerman before dropping an arm over her shoulder. “I’d say you’d have our full blessing to ask our daughter to marry you.”

Eren should’ve felt relieved but all he did was stare at them. “Really?”

“Why are you surprised?” Mrs. Ackerman laughed. “It’s not like there’s ever been anyone else in Mikasa’s eyes. It would be a change for her, and you’re right, sometimes probably hard but that’s up to her. You love her and we know you’d take care of her, make her happy so that’s good enough for us.”

Eren didn’t really have time to thank them or even say anything because the door opened, Mikasa stepping in the house with a basket full of food from the market. She hummed as she came in but she didn’t really seem to notice he was there until he stood up.

She gasped in surprised so quickly that she nearly dropped the entire basket on the ground before she caught herself. “Eren?” she said, placing the basket down carefully.

He wasn’t sure what to say mainly cause he just wanted to hug her and never let her go. She looked about the same as the last time he came home; long hair flowing down her back, her eyes glistening, warm smile on her lips. The anxiety and worries he had been feeling vanished, leaving him feeling warm and full, like a piece of him that was missing was back.

“Surprise,” he said.

Mikasa threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground as he hugged her back.

“I missed you,” she breathed.

“I always miss you.” Eren looked up to where her parents were sitting just a moment ago, but they already left. He pressed a kiss to her forehead when she moved away to look up at him. She was every bit as beautiful as the day they met when they were kids. Eren didn’t really want any more friends at the time but Mikasa and her quiet presence wormed its way into his heart, and now he couldn’t imagine his life without her. He never wanted to.

Eren thought about what her parents said, that ultimately it was her choice, how she wanted to lead her life. He supposed it was time to give her the option. 

He took a breath before looking to her eyes. “Wanna come for a walk?”


End file.
